52 hikes since January 1, 2016 consisting of 306.29 miles with 48,811 feet of elevation gain in 732.5 blissful hours of time spent with the hubs exploring nature and urban areas around the bay area…whew!! We did it!! In January we joined the #52HikeChallenge movement on Instagram which helped me to track all of our […]
Laguna de Santa Rosa
Have you checked out your local hiking spots lately? We have lived here 3 years and have driven by this lovely little hiking spot off Highway 12 on the way to Sebastopol several times without stopping. From the road it doesn’t look like a very enticing place to hike and it is short and flat […]
Estero Americano Raptor Hike – Bodega Bay
Migrating birds of prey soaring high above the brown grasses, dolphins jumping through waves below the cliffs, whale spouts in the distance near the horizon, jackrabbits bouncing through grass, cows grazing along the coastal bluffs, deer wandering the hillsides, a pouncing bobcat in the ravine and 18 nature lovers go for a walk guided by […]
Charming Tolay Lake – Sonoma County
A charming piece of sacred California history lives right in our backyard but most locals haven’t heard of Tolay Lake. It’s a darn shame! The rich history and beautiful views of the rolling hills and the city beyond are amazing to experience any time of year. According to the Sonoma County Parks website, the property […]
Evening on the Rock – Alcatraz Island
Is it crazy for the hubs and I to pay to go to prison? Well we did…and they took us! We played tourist in San Francisco this weekend and checked off a bucket list item. Alcatraz! Tickets for the night tour were purchased almost 3 months ago which meant we had to wait and wait […]
Quiet Giants – Portola Redwoods – South Bay
Have you tried to hug a giant redwood tree? No? Definitely add this to your bucket list and head on over to Portola Redwoods CA State Park! I am not sure why we continue to be surprised by all the open space in and around the bay area but we are. We feel so lucky […]
Pantoll to East Peak – Mt Tamalpais
The hubs and I have found we have done most hikes within 1.5 hours from our home base….this leaves us with repeating areas we have previously hiked. Yikes! I don’t do well with that! Some people can do the same thing over and over each time, I am definitely not one that is capable of […]
China Camp State Park – Marin
Wear your hot pink hiking pants! This hike is amazing for both hikers and mountain bikers. I do believe there are way more mountain bikers than hikers…so wear something bright so they know where you are! Love that most of them had bells on their bikes to let us know when they were coming. This […]
Jug Handle SNR – Mendocino Coast
The hubs and I like to explore a little further away from home when there’s a long weekend. We had been planning a day trip up to Mendocino for a couple weeks and had suggestions from a former local, researched which hikes and had our route all planned out. Friday morning I bent over to […]
Kortum Trail – Sonoma Coast
A peaceful escape along the coast away from the inland heat to ocean breezes dancing through the wild grasses and flowers…waves crashing on the bluffs below and cool fog rolling in. Sounds amazing right? That is exactly what this lovely gem of a hike is to us. Shell Beach is part of the 17 miles […]